Darwin Núñez will officially become a Liverpool player on 1st July. The 22 year old Uruguayan international will sign for an initial fee of €75m with €25m in potential add-ons and, whilst he is undeniably an attacking threat, there is an overlooked trait of Núñez’s game which may make him a particularly effective signing.
Núñez is coming to Anfield as a replacement for Sadio Mané, whose departure from the club and transfer to Bayern Munich has now been confirmed.
Núñez’s role at Benfica, whom he signed for in 2020, was as a genuine centre-forward.
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Last season he won the Bola de Prata (the Golden Boot equivalent in the Primeira Liga), scoring 26 goals.
Núñez is expected to play a similar role at Liverpool, this represents a change from Jürgen Klopp’s traditional approach of playing a false nine as opposed to a genuine centre-forward.
Whilst his pace and attacking potency are well known, one element of Núñez’s game which has been overlooked is his ability to track back and assist with defensive duties.
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Liverpool.com have spoken to two of the Uruguayan’s former coaches. Both of whom have praised his ability to track back.
Gonzalo de los Santos, Peñarol's sporting director who coached Núñez during his youth career, said ‘one thing that stood out to me the most was that he always lent a hand in defensive transitions and chased back to help his teammates out’.
Similarly, Javier Agenjo Duran, the striker’s fitness coach at Almeria, praised Núñez’s work rate and fitness.
Núñez will earn £5.1 million at Liverpool, a major increase from the £740,000 that he was being paid at Benfica.
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Núñez’s impressive Champions league form is another impressive factor. He scored six goals in last season’s competition as Benfica made it to the quarter final. His 77th minute header in the last 16 against Ajax sent the Portuguese team to their first quarter final in six years.
Topics: Darwin Nunez, Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp
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Joe Lynch